DFD Care And Support Services Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 1 DFD Care And Support Services Ltd Registered provider: DFD Care and Support Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is operated by a private provider in the east of England. They can accommodate up to 6 individuals in a self-contained unit where the accommodation is for the sole use of one person, and 44 individuals in 15 shared or group living settings that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 12 children were being accommodated.

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provider

The provider has been registered with Ofsted since 7 February 2024. The registered service manager has been in post since February 2024. They also hold other responsibilities as the nominated individual and director.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 27 April 2026 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 29 April to 1 May 2026.

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Outcome

Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some children's experiences, and this may limit their progress. Leaders and managers must make improvements. The next inspection will be within approximately 18 months.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers admit some children whose needs are too high for the service to meet. This has resulted in some children making insufficient progress.

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Summary of findings

Children do not live in well-maintained, homely environments.

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Summary of findings

Children's records are not always reflective of their current situation, which means that some children's needs may be overlooked. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 2 Staff form some positive relationships with children. Children feel listened to and happy.

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Summary of findings

Staff are safely recruited and sufficiently trained to meet children's needs. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff know and understand children's needs well. Children feel happy and supported where they live. Children said that staff were friendly and cared about their wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to maintain good health by ensuring that they are registered with relevant health services when they move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers ensure that staff rotas are consistent. This helps children to build trusting relationships with known staff members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff have not supported all children to engage with the service, and not all children have made progress. Staff support children to make progress when they perceive children as willing to engage. Some staff have a less-favourable opinion on the children they support, which is reflected in their recording. This affects relationships and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff generally consult effectively with placing authorities to ensure that there is a well-coordinated package of support around children. Professionals are kept up to date with children's progress. However, leaders and managers have admitted children with needs that are too high for the service to meet, and some children have been admitted with an insufficient level of support. For example, one child with a significant level of need was admitted to accommodation with floating support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff make attempts to engage children in education, but some have been out of education, employment, and training for a significant period. Staff provide few alternative measures to occupy children's daily routine.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers ensure that children live in safe neighbourhoods with good transport links to local amenities. This helps children to feel safe where they live.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children are missing from home, there is a well-coordinated response to reduce the risk of harm. Staff notify the police and the child's placing authority. However, the recording of these incidents is inconsistent. Managerial oversight of the support offered to children upon their return is limited.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff have a good understanding of children's backgrounds and how they might contribute to behaviour and emotions. Staff have a calm, consistent approach to managing children who become upset or angry. This helps children to form positive relationships.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff are not persistent or creative when children are reluctant to engage. Work to help children understand how to stay safe is not effective. Direct work with children is inconsistent and limited. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 4 Staff lack professional curiosity around children's relationships, which could result in them being in unsafe situations. For example, one child with a history of exploitation was being picked up in car by unknown occupants and this was not explored further.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not ensure that children live in a homely environment. Houses are in significant need of refurbishment, particularly the kitchens. Some children were living in unsafe environments that included sharp edges of skirting boards and loose cables running up the stairs, causing a direct health hazard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The service is led by a manager with good knowledge of the service and children's needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have regular supervisory sessions with staff. Staff talk about the help they give to children and are offered opportunities to develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers recruit staff safely. They make sure that staff are well trained to support the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers work with local authorities to review children's plans when these are not working. This helps to ensure that a different approach is considered. However, staff do not ensure that case records accurately reflect children's lives and the work that is carried out with them. Support plans and risk assessments are often generic or lack detail, and changes to risk and progress are not reflected in updated plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers ensure that notifications of all significant events that relate to the welfare and protection of children are made to the appropriate authorities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers undertake audits of properties, but the impact of these checks is ineffective. This results in children living in inadequately maintained homes. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the 'Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards'. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires, and leads a culture in relation to the supported accommodation undertaking that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(f)) 26 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that children are encouraged and enabled to take a lead role in determining the support they receive and to participate in and influence how the supported accommodation operates;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that plans for support are based on initial referral information, are meaningful and are created in full consultation with the child, taking account of relevant plans for the child;

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Requirement Due date

keep the child's support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child's needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe; 26 June 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 6 ensure that processes are in place to enable children to access support from other organisations and community services, such that they are encouraged and enabled to access a range of services, including those offered by advocacy organisations and training providers;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that children are supported to access education, training, or employment;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that children are supported to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(g)(m)(n))

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Requirement Due date

The protection standard is that children are enabled to feel safe and that their needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with children to help them understand how to keep safe, by offering guidance and support on how to minimise any potential risk of harm. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(f)(iii)) 26 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The accommodation standard is that children experience a comfortable and secure living environment.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used as supported accommodation—

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Requirement Due date

are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child individually and all children collectively;

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Requirement Due date

are adequately maintained so as to provide a welcoming and homely environment within both individual and shared living spaces. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(v)(viii)) 26 June 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff exercise professional curiosity when considering the relationships children have with others, in order to ensure their safety. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 22)  The registered person should ensure that they have sufficient oversight of all case records relating to children, particularly in relation to direct work with children and incidents. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 53)  The registered person should ensure that staff record information about children in a manner that will be helpful to them in the future and in a way that does not assign blame to a child. ('Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards', page 58)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: DFD Care and Support Services Ltd

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Eunice Nekete

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: infor@dfdcareservices.co.uk

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Inspectors

Amie Pearson, Social Care Inspector Chris Jay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: DFD Care And Support Services Ltd 9 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding, and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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